QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, August 29, 2002 -- EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. has received notification that its contract has been extended with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the contract involves development of new high-precision actuator systems for AFRL by EXFO Burleigh Products Group Inc., located in Victor, New York.
Phase 1 of the contract involved development of a prototype motor system based on the Inchworm actuator patented by EXFO Burleigh Products Group. The prototype actuator, shipped to AFRL in December 2001, is 180 times more powerful than the current Inchworm model, with the same nanometer-level precision. In addition, it is 15 times faster and pushes more than 10 times the load of a classic Inchworm actuator. The performance extremes are suitable for potential scientific and defense applications including large adaptive-optic telescopes, space-based and airborne laser systems.
Phase 2 of the AFRL contract involves refinement of the Phase 1 concept, development of high efficiency electronics and miniaturization as well as application testing, scheduled for the third quarter of 2004. Phase 2 funding of engineering project support extends through the first quarter of 2005.
"We are delighted to receive the second phase of the DARPA contract," said David Farrell, president of EXFO Burleigh Products Group. "It confirms the research and effort that went into development of the Phase 1 prototype, and it allows us to further develop the Inchworm design, originally patented by Burleigh Instruments in 1975. Ultimately, our customers benefit as well from this government-sponsored work because our efforts on the DARPA contract will play out in current and future Inchworm product offerings," Mr. Farrell said.
EXFO is a designer and manufacturer of fiber-optic test, measurement, monitoring and automation solutions for the global telecommunications industry. EXFO markets more than 90 product families to 2000 customers in 70 countries around the world.
EXFO and its subsidiaries develop products for two main markets. The Portable and Monitoring Division provides handheld and modular instruments for the physical-, optical- and protocol-layer testing needs of telecommunications carriers and network service providers.
The Industrial and Scientific Division offers an extensive line of high-performance instruments, test automation systems and manufacturing automation equipment for optical component and transmission system vendors as well as for research and development labs.
For more information, visit www.exfo.com.
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